Damage Control

Summary: Mutual attraction blossoms into something more as Natasha takes a chance, but circumstances conspire against her. Everything that can go wrong, will.

Chapter 1

Sometimes, Fury wanted to be wrong. Coulson had thought
using Romanov as his security detail was overkill. As the edges of the room
lost focus and his head began to spin, Fury knew that once again, he’d been
right and Phil had underestimated the situation. Romanov was exactly what Fury
had hoped for: calm, cool and collected. She tossed his arm over her shoulders
just seconds before his balance went.

“Little too much to drink,” She laughed to a passerby as
she moved him towards the door. He felt as though the floor was shifting angles
at every step, first inclined, then declined, then sloping sharply left. He
stumbled, tripping over Natasha’s leg, and slurred an apology.

Sharp eyed, she saw the assassins moving in. “Sit,” she
hissed in his ear and when she slipped out of his grasp, he couldn’t help but
obey. He could feel whatever they had drugged him with, tugging at the edges of
his mind. Something to get him confused and compliant.

“Drugged,” Fury mumbled.

“Mm-hmm,” Natasha responded noncommittally as she took
out the assassins with her usual grace and poise. “There’s more coming, we
should move,” she said urgently, kneeling to help him back to his unsteady
feet. She wasn’t strong enough to outright carry him, but she bore the brunt of
his weight, while wearing heels, as she guided them to the car.

Natasha helped herself to Fury’s keys, tucked into his
jacket pocket. She unlocked the doors and eased him onto the passenger seat.

“Nobody drives my car but me,” Fury objected.

“You really think you can drive, sir?” Natasha replied,
quirking her eyebrow at him as she got behind the wheel. “Try not to puke.”

She lost them, of course. She was kicking herself for not
finding out who they were, but she lost them nonetheless. She was on a security
detail, and that meant prioritizing Fury’s safety. She parked outside his
apartment building and got out to open his door. Fury hadn’t puked, but he was still acting
like a drunk.

“You lost them?” he mumbled, looking up at Natasha.

“Nah, I thought it’d be fun to lead the bad guys to your
sanctum,” she answered with an eyeroll.

“Sanctum?” Fury scoffed. “Baby, this is just a place to
crash.”

She caught him as he poured himself out of the vehicle.
He put his hand on the car to steady himself and somehow wound up trapping her
against the car, his arms splayed on either side of her, his body looming over
her as she backed up to the side of the car. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered,
his voice suddenly husky. There was a tenderness in his face as he leaned down,
pressing his lips over hers. One hand swept down to the small of her back,
pulling her to him, the growing hardness between his legs pressed against her
abdomen. “So beautiful,” he sighed, his breath hot against her cheek.

“If you ask me to come upstairs, sir, I will.” Natasha’s
voice was small but cold. “But I’ll only be following orders.”

Fury’s eye opened. “No, that won’t be necessary, Agent,”
he said firmly. “I can make it.”

He made it four steps before tripping. The world tilted
and he struggled to his feet. Natasha watched impassively as he mostly crawled
up the front steps, and stalled at the front door. She realized belatedly that she still had his
keys. She unlocked the door and offered him a hand to get to his feet without
making eye contact.

Fury seemed much more sober. “I’m sorry about that,” he
offered, gesturing toward the car.

“No harm done. I don’t think it needs to go in the report,”
Natasha answered.

“I’d appreciate that.” He took his keys gingerly,
avoiding touching her hand. “I mean it though. I was out of line.”

“You’ve been drugged,” Natasha reminded him. “You’re not
yourself. I’ll have someone from medical stop by to check on you.”

He tried not to stare at the way the taut fabric of her
dress stretched across her ass as she moved. Once inside, he started a pot of
coffee with no intention of sleeping until the effects of the drugs wore off.
He shed his tuxedo on the bathroom floor and turned the shower on cold.

“I sent her away,” he informed his persistent hard-on.
With a little sigh, he took matters in hand. Eyes closed, icy water spraying
across his back, if he panted out her name when he came, there was no one
around to hear it.

Natasha skipped going to headquarters for debriefing,
skipped going to her own apartment and showed up at Clint and Phil’s. Clint was
making French toast and watching Naked Gun with the sound off and the closed
captioning on.

“You don’t usually show up for my two a.m. breakfast
because you’re having a good night,” Clint observed.

“I was running security for…an important man. Very
important. He was drugged but I got him out safely,” Natasha said. “He wasn’t
knocked out, though, just…out of it.”

Clint slid the toast onto a plate and turned off the
burner. He looked at her expectantly.

“It was nothing, he… I took him back to his place and he tried
to kiss me.”

“Tell me you didn’t kill the guy you were supposed to
protect,” Clint pleaded.

Natasha shook her head. “I didn’t. Not worth the
paperwork. I just don’t know how to feel. I think I should be angry because he
was so far out of line, but he was drugged. It wasn’t his fault and he didn’t –
“ She shrugged and gestured as she reached for an explanation. “He didn’t hurt
me or threaten to hurt me; he apologized. It was just a kiss. It wasn’t even a
bad kiss.”

Clint looked at her dubiously. “Your righteous
indignation button must be broken. Go with anger,” he advised. “Guy’s a jerk
and you should be mad at him.”

“I’m pretty much guaranteed to have to work with him
again. I’d rather just let it go.”

“Oh God, was it Stark?”

“No!” Natasha exclaimed. “I wouldn’t hesitate to be mad
at Stark, why would you even ask that?”

“Rogers?” Clint guessed.

“It wasn’t anyone on the team. It was…someone else
connected with SHIELD. Are you making enough for both of us?” she gestured to
the French toast.

“I guess I am now,” Clint answered, getting out two more
slices of bread.

“What do you want me to say, Phil?” Fury sighed. “I’m
only blind in one eye. She’s an attractive young woman. I was drugged. She made
it clear she wasn’t interested and I let it drop. I even apologized.”

“Her trust has
been shaken,” Coulson said quietly.

“I’ll talk to her,” Fury promised.

“And I have an ethical problem with you wanting to sleep with
her, whether or not you act on that desire.”

“Noted. Anything else?” Fury remarked. Coulson’s ethical
problems didn’t really concern him and he didn’t want to throw it in the
agent’s face that Phil was dating one of his own subordinates.

“No sir.”

“Come in,” Fury called out when a knock sounded at his
door. He stood as Agent Romanov entered. “Close the door, have a seat.”

“I prefer to stand,” she responded as she pulled the door
shut.

“I’m going to cut right to the chase,” Fury said. He circled
around to the front of his desk and leaned against it. “Now that I’m back at
full functional capacity, I want to clear the air.” It was a carefully chosen
posture, leaning away from her, giving her plenty of space while minimizing the
height difference and appearing casual and non-threatening.

“Sir?” Natasha prompted. She recognized the body language
and saw it for what it was. It told her as much about the conversation as the
director’s words.

“Sleeping with me is not, and never will be, part of your
job description,” he said bluntly.

“Yes sir,” Romanov schooled her tone of voice and
features into perfectly flat neutrality.

“You’re not obligated, under any circumstances, to
participate in any manner of sexual activity,” Fury clarified. “Not with me,
not with any agent, ally or enemy of SHIELD.”

“I understand.”

“And drugs or no drugs, if I ever try to kiss you or put
my hands on you in any way that makes you uncomfortable, you go ahead and break
my nose.”

“I’ll consider that a standing order,” Natasha answered
with a faint smile.

Chapters

Hudson:
Your story was fantastic Erin! The Rising Sun was one of the first stories I read on Inkitt, and I have to say I don't regret the three to four days I spent pouring through the story.Probably the biggest strength I see in your writing is your characterisation of Eliana, Oriens, and the rest of th...

Julia Summers PA:
Reading this now. It's fun, hilariously fabulous yet taste of what you desire in a unusual read. I will post an actual review when I am finished. But so far loving the flow and the story seems to keep me drawn

Usagi Kita:
This story is emotional from beginning to end. You get to watch the characters struggle and grow, maturing in different ways so that they come to be the people they are meant to be. Inea is insanely adorable, and his antics made me laugh more than once, and Kaedon is perfect for him in so many wa...

MavisMcQueen:
"To Live Again" is a well crafted, highly engaging, heart vibrating tale surrounding our favorite Elven King. The author will keep you engrossed until the very end and by that time you will feel so strongly for Clara and the other characters that you will never want it to end...like ever. Thrandu...

PurpleInkling:
Hippocrite is spelt hypocrite.Also it is an awesome story! A good one after so long. I was hoping someone would write a good fanficiton playing off what Ron said at the station. You are doing a remarkable job. It would have been interesting if Albus had also ended up in Ravenclaw though that mig...

Alex Reltin:
This is a great story! I love how well you go into detail and emotions of Capri, and Mel. You have amazing dialogue and overall it's just a thrill to read!The only critique I could find is that some of the paragraphs should be separated. For example:-"If Nia would have just let me take the car an...

Jenn Deering:
This is a go-to story for when you're needing a little happiness in your life. It's well-crafted, and characters are true to their show-selves. The pace is right, there are minimal grammatical errors, and the plot is fresh.

Flik:
Hi! ^.^ huge fan of yours on ff.net! When I saw the note about this contest on The Way We Smile, I couldn't help but rush over here, create an account, and vote! XD Seriously love this story and would recommend it to anyone! :D best FT fanfiction out there. Amazing story, amazing concept that wa...

Jordan Young:
*ALERT FOR POSSIBLE SPOILERS* Where to start? I don't know how to sum up this review, this story was absolutely sensational. Brilliant. Flawless. I loved every single bit of this story, it is truly amazing. I read this story in fifteen hours, it is magnificent. I loved everything about it, the p...

Jean Tryon:
As a beta, I found this story outstanding!! Plot, grammar, phraseology, etc Rachel gives us it all. She takes the story into the future from where due South ends. She is an exacting and thoughtful author.

Animeviewer:
It is one of the best stories I've ever read. This story will have you riding a roller coaster of emotions and nearly dying to know what happens next.You will get very attached to the characters and in my case I relate well with some of their very traumatic or emotional experiences, Just Juliet f...